During more than six hours of transmission, the Digital Marathon for ‘Electoral Peace’, An alliance between EL TIEMPO and the Attorney General’s Office, brought together local and departmental leaders to analyze the challenges that the regions face in the face of the upcoming elections. From their role as guarantors of democratic conditions, the leaders agreed on the need to strengthen security, institutional trust and citizen participation.
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The panel was moderated by Jineth Bedoya, Gender editor of EL TIEMPO, and María Alejandra Rodríguez, editor of ADN, and had the participation of Carlos Fernando Galán, mayor of Bogotá; Dilian Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca; Carlos Hugo Piedrahita, mayor of Mocoa; Luis Alfonso Escobar, governor of Nariño; Andrés Santamaría, executive director of Asocapitales, and Luis Alfonso Escobar, from the Electoral Surveillance Unit Group of the Attorney General’s Office.
The mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán opened the conversation by pointing out that electoral peace implies the ability to process differences through institutions and with respect for the law.. “It is about guaranteeing that those who win the processes, regardless of their political position, do so with full guarantees in terms of security and without misuse of public resources”he stated.
Galan added that Local governments must ensure the proper development of the elections from two fronts: security, together with the National Police, and logistics, in coordination with the Registry Office.
For your partCarlos Hugo Piedrahita, mayor of Mocoa, warned about the lack of institutional support in Putumayo after the 2017 tragedy. He assured that the absence of reconstruction of the social fabric and mitigation works has generated an environment of mistrust that directly affects the electoral process and facilitates pressure from illegal armed groups.
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In the same line, the governor of Nariño, Luis Alfonso Escobar, He highlighted that the number of threats and murders against social and political leaders is a key indicator of democratic risk. He mentioned the progress made thanks to the local peace agreements with the Comuneros del Sur and the National Coordinator of the Bolivarian Army, which have reduced violence in the region and kept the homicide rate below the national average. “To build electoral peace we must start from the data, because only then can we build better stories.””, he stressed.
Finally, the governor of Valle del Cauca, Dilian Francisca Toro, emphasized the need to guarantee elections free of fear and with full confidence in the institutions. He acknowledged that pressure from armed groups still persists in rural and coastal areas, but pointed out the progress achieved with the support of the Public Force. In addition, he highlighted the role of youth and the importance of institutional support: “Electoral peace is not decreed; it is built with trust and transparency.”
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